Time and Time again
by Litzana
Summary: BLU Spy begins to question the motives behind the War. Now, he's had enough. But when a mysterious purple letter arrives for him, the world as he knows it spins rapidly out of control. Chapter 2 up! R&R appreciated!
1. Chapter 1

_The cast and characters of Team Fortress 2 present:_

_**Time and Time again**_

_**Or**_

_**Spy in, Spy out.**_

_Chapter One: A mystery, and champagne._

* * *

Saturday night. An end to the fighting… for now. The Announcer had granted both teams a ceasefire for the weekend, and already the BLU team had plans; mostly involving Demomans secret stash of scrumpy and _my_ secret stash of champagne.

What? It's not like I ever authorise them to steal it.

I look around the room. Soldier, ranting at anyone who would listen about how atrocious they all were, and how they were a bunch of effeminate maggots who belonged in a nursery instead of a battlefield.

Sniper and Engineer, not listening to a word the Soldier was saying, playing chess in the corner.

Scout, doing whatever Scout did. I don't really take an interest in him.

Heavy, on the only sofa large enough to accommodate his bulk, fast asleep. He always fell asleep after a battle.

Medic, absent. Most likely fixing up Pyro, who'd suffered a knife wound in the leg.

Demoman, drunk in the corner. As usual.

And… me.

Spy.

The untrustworthy, backstabbing, scoundrel. Usually that description filled me with warmth; it meant I was doing my job properly. Not today, though. I'm beginning to lose the point. Why are the two teams - RED and BLU - fighting? What is the point of killing one another, over and over again?

The suspicion that we were being manipulated grew when I managed to sneak a talk with my RED counterpart. He, too, was questioning the motives of his contractor.

After Scout caught me unawares, talking to him, though, I had to stop.

Even now, the members of BLU occasionally look at me as if to say; 'You're up to something. I'm keeping my eye on you.'

I stand up, out of the shadow I'd been sitting in. Scout glances at me, and Engineer sends a quizzical glance my way.

I twitch my head in answer, and walk out of the room. I never really feel a part of the ceasefire festivities. Plotting, planning, thinking up new ways to outsmart my RED counterpart – it's all in the job description. I never rest.

It's not like I don't appreciate the ceasefire… Only that a Spy's job never ends. I live for the battle. I have no home to 'return' to, when my contract runs out. It's just… me.

Spy.

Now wandering aimlessly down the long corridors of whatever base we were currently using – after years of wood, and steel, and concrete, it becomes a blur – I end up in the Intelligence room. Again.

Settling in the chair behind the desk, I stare at the briefcase. "if only I could see what is inside of you… Maybe I would find out what exactly what we are fighting for…" I mutter, and pull the case towards me, fiddling with the combination lock.

"Yo, Spy!"

I glance up and scowl. Scout had followed me. He never could resist the urge to taunt me…

"What is it you want, Scout?" I put all the venom I can into that sentence.

"Uh… You got a letter." Scout crosses the room and lays the purple envelope on the desk. I glance at it briefly.

"I never get letters. You must be mistaken."

"Uh, no… Unless your name _isn't_ Aleixandre Espion?"

I scowl again at Scout. I'm now regretting telling him my name. "Fine. I _do_ have a letter. Now go away. I'm busy."

Scout shrugs. "Oh, yeah… Soldier says 'you'd better get your French ass down here with your champagne this instant, backstabber, or I'll ransack your room again'. His words, not mine."

"I'll be down later. Now leave me alone."

Scout shrugs again. "My headset's on, and it's still linked with your earbud, so if you want anything, just call."

I stand up swiftly, trying to control my temper. "Fine. Fine! Now leave, or my knife will find itself embedded in your back!"

Scout raises an eyebrow at me. "You wouldn't."

"I certainly would. Get going."

Scout leaves the room, leaving me to puzzle over the briefcase again. I don't even look at the letter. I think, now, that if I had then I wouldn't be in this perilous situation.

_It's funny how, even though it is supposed to be _our_ Intelligence, No-one on the team knows what's inside… I doubt even Soldier, who pretends to lead us, knows._

I fiddle with the buttons on the Intelligence again. I know the combination isn't the same as the door lock… That would be pathetic.

My fingers trail over the buttons. _If I was the lock, what would my combination be…?_

_Something simple enough to remember, but hard enough to figure out. That rules out the 'all four numbers the same' trick._

_Usually a name, a birth date. A name with four letters, perhaps?_

I glance around the room for inspiration. _A name with four letters and it must be prominent and memorable…_

My gaze hits the purple envelope lying forlornly on the desk. As well as my name, which is worrying in itself, I notice a scrawl in tiny writing on the corner.

"Mann?"

I shrug and decide to give it a try. Converting letters to numbers, 'Mann' is 13-1-14-14.

That won't fit on the nine-number keypad. So I add the numbers that have two digits together.

4-1-5-5.

I key the code in, and the Intelligence – what both teams are fighting for – opens up.

I take out the topmost file and scan through it. And the next.

These files are gibberish! One file contains the phrase 'The cake is a lie', over and over again. Another phrase seems to be a crudely drawn figure of a man in a hood, crouched as if to pounce and strike.

And then one file catches my eye. It is addressed to me.

'_Open the envelope'_

I look at the letter. It seems so sinister, just lying there.

I pick it up, and pull out my butterfly-knife to slit the flap. Overkill, yes, but my letter-opener is back in my room.

The envelope contains one small piece of purple notepaper, with two words.

'_Behind you.'_

I turn, but not fast enough. Something heavy from behinds thwacks into my skull, and though my hair beneath the mask cushions the blow, it is still enough to send me unconscious.

* * *

O.o What is the motive behind this mysterious attack on BLU spy? Who set him up, with the code on the envelope and the file in the case?

Is the cake really a lie?

Will the Demoman get drunk? (yes)

Will Pyro take off his mask?

Find out the answers to these questions and more, in the next instalment!


	2. Don't shoot the messenger'

Okays. Hai, guys, it's me again, with another update. I decided to do the SpyPOV bits in past tense, because I am CRAP at present tense.

I know Blu is very OOC. I did that intentionally. you'll find out why later.

Yeah, RED Spy is a total jackass.

Anyway... For your reading pleasure:

_**Time and Time again**_

_Chapter Two: _

_Realisation_

_or _

_'Don't shoot the messenger!'_

* * *

Ten-o-clock. BLU base – recreation room.

"And that, mate, concludes our games."

"Awright. I'll get ye next time, though, Snipes."

Sniper began clearing up the chess board. Four games to three – an impressive feat, since Engineer had only started teaching Sniper chess about a month ago.

Scout looked up from where he was polishing his new Sandman. "Hey. You seen Spy? He ain't showed up all night."

"You tell us. You said he'd be dahn here 'soon', and that was three hours ago."

Sniper, Engineer and Scout were the only members of BLU awake. The rest of the team had retired to bed, or, in the case of Heavy and Demo, stayed asleep where they lay. Heavy was cuddling Sasha like a teddy bear.

"Yeah… I wanted ta beat the varmint at his own game." Engineer reverently placed the chess board back into Spy's locker, from where they'd been loaned it earlier in the night. "He said he'd be dahn with his drinks an' stuff, too."

"Maybe we should go look for him. He's had a long week, and, well, you know how he gets. Last week I found him fast asleep in the Supply room, with his Cloak an' Dagger on so's we couldn't see him."

"Good idea, Snipes." Engineer turned to Scout. "Where'd ya last see him?"

"Uh… He was in the intel room, I think. Fiddling with the Briefcase."

Sniper stood up. "Well, there's no sense just sittin' here waiting for him to arrive." He shouldered his rifle, which he'd leant against the wall. "To the Intel room, then, boys!"

* * *

Same time. Undisclosed location.

"Urgh… "

I heard a chuckle as I returned to consciousness. I ignored it for the moment, the most pressing problem being that my hands were tied behind my back.

And, my bound hands were also tied to a chair. I struggled against ropes also encircling my torso, but to no avail.

"About time you woke up. I was beginning to get bored."

I looked around me. I was in a darkened room, but not dark enough that I could not see. Indeed, there was another figure in the room with me; his stiff upright position on the chair he sat on revealed that he, too, was bound.

And, judging by his accent, so similar to my own, I'd say he was…

"RED."

"Greetings, BLU. You took your time."

I do not deny it, now. If it were up to me, if I were not bound to a chair and in an extremely vulnerable position, I would leap across the room and put an end to him.

However, I _was_ bound, I _was_ in a vulnerable position, and it quite obviously was _not_ up to me.

"So," he said, his voice almost the same as my own, except for a deeper rasp, "What brings you to the deepest level of the Administrators lair?"

"Is that where I am?"

He tutted. "And you were supposed to be _smart_, BLU."

"Oh, I'm sorry," I snapped. "Having a Heavy, or something like it, punch you in the head is most definitely a reason to lose concentration!"

Silence. Obviously RED was slightly surprised.

After a few minutes spent in silence, he shifted as much as he could in the chair. "Alright! You've got both of us! What do you want!"

A crackle came from a hidden speaker. A voice, slightly computerised, issued through it.

"Indeed you both are, Spy. And, you ask, why have I locked you both up? Why are you both totally incapacitated?"

I ignored the words, instead focusing on the tone of the voice. Even behind the scramble, I heard it was female.

"Who are you? Why are we incarcerated in this cell?" The questions slipped past my lips before I could stop them. I sensed Red looking at me with distaste.

I guess I was still sounding a little slurred, and I know the pounding pain in my head wasn't helping matters.

"I… Well, you will find out eventually. As to why you are locked up… We do it to all the mercenaries who come a little too close to the truth. It's usually Spies, but we've had the odd Engineer and Scout in here too."

I remained silent, thinking. The truth? "The gibberish in the Briefcase?" I ask, thinking of the drawing and the one-sentence file.

This was ignored. Red again addressed the mysterious voice. "So, we know the so-called 'Intel' is gibberish. What is the _real_ reason we are forced to fight each other?"

"All in due time… gentlemen."

I jumped slightly as the door to the room hissed open. I could hear footsteps behind me as I craned my head around.

A light flicked on in the room. I closed my eyes as I heard the click, so the harsh white light wouldn't blind me.

It seemed Red did the same thing, as the next thing I heard was a female voice. "You can open your eyes now, gentlemen."

I felt the rope tying my wrists loosen, as well as the rope tying my torso to the back of the chair. I stood up, rubbing my wrists. "Finally. That was quite enough."

"I agree." Red stood up too. It was quite amusing, really… My worst enemy (besides Red Sniper) standing in the same room, ready to be hacked to pieces with my favourite weapon.

I saw him scowl behind his red mask. Evidently _he_ was thinking the same thing.

We both plunged our hands into our jacket pockets, searching for the knife that was…

Not there.

We both frantically searched our pockets. _All_ my weapons were missing… Including my Cloak – and – Dagger Invisibility Watch and my Ambassador revolver!

I feel the cloth of my mask stretch as I scowl at my enemy. "You…" we say, simultaneously, and both of us shift into a fighting stance. Then a slight "Hem hem…" made us both remember that there was another person in the room.

We simultaneously turn to look.

The person in question was female, with a business-like no-nonsense hairstyle and glasses. She wore a purple shirt and leggings.

I spoke first. "Where are my weapons?" I asked, putting a lot of disdain into my voice. Uncharacteristically for Red, he stayed silent.

"Your weapons are safe… Uh, I've been told to bring you up to the next level, where you'll be told… things."

'I've been told'. A good phrase. It generally means 'Don't kill me, because it's not me behind all this.'

Very akin to 'Don't shoot the messenger'.

"What sort of things?" Red spat. Like me, he was obviously pissed off at the lack of weapons, with his arch-enemy in the same room.

"Things." The woman turned her back – not the done thing, in a room with two pissed-off spies.

"Last one out, turn off the light. It wastes electricity."

* * *

O.o you know what happens now, right?

SOLDIERBITCHFIGHT!

XD I am sooo looking forward to writing that.

Oh, one more thing: The Spy's accents. I'm crap at writing in a french accent, but if you'd prefer it, just drop me a review saying so.

**SNEAK PREVIEW:**

The Intel room looked like... well, an Intel room. Complete with Intel case (firmly locked), Sentry in the corner, polished desk and notes in their Spy's handwriting. He came to this room to think, often.

"Spah?"

Engineer hesitantly looked around the room. If Spy wasn't here, then where was he...?

"Oi! Spy!" Scout barreled into the room, straight into Engineer, sending both sprawling. Sniper walked in, kukri drawn. "Spy? You in here?"

Scout scowled. "Y'know, this is wastin' my valuable sleepin' time. I'm goin' to bed. Worst-case scenario, Spy's asleep in the corner somewhere. Big deal. Or out infiltratin' some goddamn hole in the middle of nowhere."

Scout left the room, nimbly knocking off Snipers hat in the process. Sniper scowled. "I agree with Scout, Truckie. Spy's probably out an' about somewhere. You know what he's like, up an' about all hours of the night."

He scratched the back of his head casually before putting his hat back on. "I just wish the creeper'd get some decent sleep..."

Sniper left the room, too, leaving Engineer alone with his Sentry.

Wait... The Sentry? That was it!

Engineer picked himself up and crossed the room to his Sentry. "The camera... I made this Sentry different 'cause it's go a doggone _camera_... That'll put my mind at rest..."

He picked out a tiny videotape from behind a panel in the Sentry's casing, and after a moment of thought slotted a new one in. With a sigh, and a final look around, Engineer exited the room.

It's not to say he _worried_ about the most mysterious member of the BLU team. He full well knew that Spy could look after himself.

But... He'd seen the impressive array of scars that their Spy had... And not all from his previous life. And at three AM in the morning, when you heard his yell of pain after Medic pulled a bullet from his shoulder...

Engineer sighed. "You'd better be safe, pal," he said to himself.


	3. A startling revelation

_**Time and Time again**_

_Chapter three: _

_Videotapes_

_Or _

_A startling revelation_

* * *

The hallway we walked along was dark and damp. The roof and top corners were wreathed in shadow, and the floor was covered in small puddles that splashed as I walked through them.

"Yes, the facility has seen better days." The mysterious woman who'd freed us back in the cell had noticed my blatant disgust. "However, in its prime it was a magnificent place. It was used for the testing of state-of-the-art technology such as the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device and, of course, your watches, the Engineers self-building turret guns, dispensers and teleporters, and many more."

I had stopped listening after 'Device'. My sleeve had accidentally brushed Red's in the confined space, and we had sidled away from each other to avoid unnecessary contact.

The woman noticed this and grinned. "Oh, yes. If either of you are thinking about trying to run, as, of course, I have no means of stopping you, I'd like to direct your attention to the roof of the hallway."

We looked up as lights flicked on. The roof of the hallway was littered with silver globes that cracked open as we watched, revealing the barrels of what looked like modified machine guns.

"The guns are armed. If you try to run, I'll press the button on the remote and they will blow seven kinds of crap out of you. Do you understand?"

I scowled. "Hardly fair play, mademoiselle."

"I am inclined to agree." Red gestured to the guns set into the roof. "High security for only two captives, non?"

"And we are without our equipment," I threw in.

The woman shrugged. "We get all sorts down this hallway… Some are armed, some aren't."

We looked at each other. Obviously that was the best explanation we were going to get.

I looked around me, attempting to memorise my position. I wasn't anything if not observant.

The corridor abruptly ended with a set of double doors that hissed open at our approach. Behind that was a sort of… energy field, and then a massive room.

The room itself was split into two. The left side of the room was painted blue and the right side red. Computer monitors festooned the back wall, and a display just in front of them held several microphone jacks and rows of differently-coloured buttons.

In front of the display was a tall-backed swivel chair, with a wisp of smoke rising up that suggested it was occupied.

"I brought the Spies as requested, ma'am."

There was movement in the chair. "Thank you, Miss Pauling. You may go."

The woman scurried out of the room, leaving us with the mysterious figure…

That I strongly suspected to be the Administrator.

* * *

The Intel room looked like... well, an Intel room. Complete with Intel case (firmly locked), Sentry in the corner, polished desk and notes in their Spy's handwriting. He came to this room to think, often.

"Spah?"

Engineer hesitantly looked around the room. If Spy wasn't here, then where was he...?

"Oi! Spy!" Scout barreled into the room, straight into Engineer, sending both sprawling. Sniper walked in, kukri drawn. "Spy? You in here?"

Scout scowled. "Y'know, this is wastin' my valuable sleepin' time. I'm goin' to bed. Worst-case scenario, Spy's asleep in the corner somewhere. Big deal. Or out infiltratin' some goddamn hole in the middle of nowhere."

Scout left the room, nimbly knocking off Snipers hat in the process. Sniper scowled. "I agree with Scout, Truckie. Spy's probably out an' about somewhere. You know what he's like, up an' about all hours of the night."

He scratched the back of his head casually before putting his hat back on. "I just wish the creeper'd get some decent sleep..."

Sniper left the room, too, leaving Engineer alone with his Sentry.

Wait... The Sentry? That was it!

Engineer picked himself up and crossed the room to his Sentry. "The camera... I made this Sentry different 'cause it's go a doggone _camera_... That'll put my mind at rest..."

He picked out a tiny videotape from behind a panel in the Sentry's casing, and after a moment of thought slotted a new one in. With a sigh, and a final look around, Engineer exited the room.

It's not to say he _worried_ about the most mysterious member of the BLU team. He full well knew that Spy could look after himself.

But... He'd seen the impressive array of scars that their Spy had... And not all from his previous life. And at three AM in the morning, when you heard his yell of pain after Medic pulled a bullet from his shoulder...

Engineer sighed. "You'd better be safe, pal," he said to himself.

As he strode down the hallway, back towards his workshop, a black-suited figure watched him go, a smirk on his masked face…

* * *

FAILED CHAPTER!

And there you have it.

Sorry, no soldier bitch fight... yet. However, I did introduce a mysterious masked man! Aren't they fun!

Review?


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